Monkey Pox research wins João Monjardino 2022 award

The João Monjardino 2022 Prize was awarded to researcher Joana Isidro, first author of the article "Phylogenomic characterization and signs of microevolution in the 2022 multi-country outbreak of monkeypox virus" , which was published in the journal Nature Medicine. The award will be presented at a ceremony to be announced soon.

This paper, published June 24, 2022, explores the possible causes of the recent monkeypox outbreak (first reported in the UK on May 7, 2022), which was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an International Public Health Emergency (on July 23, 2022), and proposes an explanation for why the outbreak spread worldwide in early 2022. More than 16,500 cases have been reported in at least 74 countries for two months (in 2022), compared to fewer than 1,000 cases reported in the past four years (mainly in Africa).

Joana Isidro has a Master's degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics and is a member of the Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA). The researcher is involved in multiple national and international collaborations, including several projects under the One Health European Joint Programme initiative. Since 2020, she has been continuously involved in the genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and, more recently, in the study of the Monkeypox virus in Portugal.

The João Monjardino 2022 Prize was dedicated to the theme "Viral Diseases: Epidemiology, Etiopathogenesis, and Control", with the purpose of distinguishing the best article published under the proposed theme, which addresses research results carried out by a researcher under 35 years of age at the date of submission of the application, in an institution of the national scientific and technological system.

The João Monjardino Prize is a joint initiative of the Francisco Pulido Valente Foundation and the Foundation for Science and Technology, which aims to stimulate research, experimental development and innovation in the field of Biomedical and Health Sciences through the recognition of the merit of scientific and technological activities carried out in this field. The amount of the prize awarded is 10,000 euros, shared equally by the two foundations.